This latest addition to my collection is a generous gift from fellow SuperFan Alexei Lambley-Steel who, after inquiring about a single prop was offered a large set of screenused items from Superman IV: The Quest For Peace!
Shown above is a genuine set-used/screen-used prop US car numberplate used throught production. The timing of this acquisition could not be better in view of the fact they are now clearly identifiable on the recently-released Blu-Ray disc (and not, unfortunately, from the DVD screengrabs above) proving the plate 774 LPS makes its first appearance on Lacy Warfield’s car as it pulls up outside the UN. It later adorns the front of a white sedan (far left in screengrab) whose roof is torn off during Nuclearman’s attack before finally being scorched by the car next to it as its engulfed in a fireball.
Constrained by budgetary restrictions, the same vehicles appear over and over on the Elstree Studios set, including a portion stripped of their engines and crushed by the battle with the first Nuclearman from the deleted scenes (bottom pic)…
The Global selling of a Super-Sequel often yields some interesting slants on advertising besides providing some great imagery. Despite its status among critics and fans as where the ‘rot’ started to set in conceptually, Superman III remains a literal comic-book brought to life (made all the more watchable on Blu-Ray thanks to digital wire removal).
Shown above is the art for the three main Poster campaigns adapted for European promotion – From the top; Larry Salk’s US 1 sheet painting and Daniel Goozee’s art from the UK Quad both from German magazines, (see more of Goozee’s III Poster concepts here) poster art from an unknown artist (can anybody help identify?) from a French Movie mag that was also found on the Japanese program and UK Poster Magazine, and bottom, oversize Trade Ad from the UK…
Hot from the PC of Alexei Lambley-Steel come these ‘Portrait’ test shots for our evolving mock vintage Superman IV trading Card set.
These prototypes represent the last of the try-outs before we begin the set proper. Alexei informs me the only amendment will be the typeface which will be even closer to the ‘real’ thing on the finished cards. My contribution (besides the images) is to produce the titles and copy for the cardbacks – there will be a title card, possibly a checklist and maybe even a sticker set to round it off in true retro style.
Enjoy and check back for updates and a preview of the finished set…!
So it would seem the Colombian people were so grateful to Superman for saving both their economy and entire coffee crop from destruction by the Vulcan satellite and the wrath of tycoon Ross Webster (circa 1983) that decades later they have ‘erected’ a statue in his honor…
Fresh from the Superman Homepage;
Thanks to Superman fan Danny Fernando Rassa and his photographer friend Magda Hidalgo, we present to you these images of a Christopher Reeve “Superman” statue located within the grounds of the Bancolombia building in the city of Medellin (Colombia, South America).
Inspired by Auduste Rodin’s “The Thinker”, the monument in honor of Christopher Reeve, is the creation of sculptor and artist Nadin Ospina.
In an interview posted (in Spanish) on the Banco Colombia website (the largest commercial bank in Colombia) the artist explains: “Superman is the king, he’s iconic, indestructible. Besides he has very interesting connotations: he is a poor little orphan, extra-terrestrial and with some very complex psychological problems and emotional difficulties. He is a very interesting personality.”
To my knowledge this great little study is the first outdoor public statue in the image of Christopher Reeve’s Superman and though he’s presented here in a more ponderous fashion I’m sure Mr. Reeve would have nonetheless been honoured and delighted…
In a Digital age where practical sets, props and even costumes (see Green Lantern) are inevitably becoming redundant, the demand for ephemera of the old school grows more intense. As repeatedly highlighted on this blog, surviving examples of production material (otherwise destined for the skip) from your favourite Movie have steadily emerged as unique and very expensive collectables in an increasingly competitive market.
One of the original vendors allowing you a chance to own a piece of Cinema history is Christies, where their ‘Film & Entertainment’ auctions give access to some unprecedented material long thought lost. Indeed, their glossy, full-colour catalogues became collectables in their own right with their lavish descriptions and accompanying photographs. In these pages you could find everything from Charlie Chaplin’s Bowler Hat & Cane from ‘The Great Dictator’ to a Stormtrooper Helmet from the original ‘Star Wars’. Unsurprisingly, the Superman film series has also been well-represented over the last fifteen years with lots including everything from original costumes to signed photographs, often exceeding their high estimates.
Conversely, the digital age has also ushered in worldwide availability with the emergence of websites accommodating bidding from where you sit or better still ordering your coveted prop online without the competition. The greatest and most successful example of this has to be The Propstore Of London, whose staggering inventory provides both your average collector and your high-end archivist with most anything they may covet. Indeed there has never been a better time to invest and preserve your most precious movie memories, but at a price.
From the top; two-page article from Collectables magazine (click on the images for readable versions) chronicling the emergence of Super-props as Super-investment, a Christies catalogue with Superman on the cover (one of the lots inside including an FX flying model of Superman from Superman IV with an estimate of £800-£1200) and an ad for an upcoming auction featuring a Superman plaster model in flying pose…
